


To Fly, From A Friend

by RainbowRocky



Series: RainbowRocky's ThunderRod Week 2020 [1]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25519873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowRocky/pseuds/RainbowRocky
Summary: Thunderclash finds himself in a bit of a funk and Rodimus lets him know he's not alone.Day 1 of ThunderRod Week 2020! Prompt: StarSet after the events of LL25.
Relationships: Rodimus/Thunderclash
Series: RainbowRocky's ThunderRod Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1848811
Comments: 9
Kudos: 19
Collections: ThunderRod Week 2020





	To Fly, From A Friend

**Author's Note:**

> If you're a regular reader of mine you'll know I love to pair music with what I write! This ficlet was inspired by the song Starlight by Taylor Swift. It doesn't quite correlate directly to the story, but it's a good listen to put yourself into the vibe of the party and to imagine what goes on when the story ends.
> 
> Thanks to my friend Percy for beta reading this <3 Check him out on tumblr @percy-writes

Thunderclash sips on his Bitrexian Bubbler and tunes out the din of the party. He’s managed to escape his neverending entourage for a moment to catch some air, and the crystal gardens outside the venue are a wonderful place to do so. The bench he’s seated at is right beside a lovely specimen of star sapphire. It glistens a sparkling azure beneath the distant lamplight of this starless night. The convoy sighs as he glances away, suddenly reminded of the old friend they’ve all gathered here to celebrate.

“This seat taken?”

Thunderclash stiffens in surprise. The smooth tenor is easily recognizable to anyone who pays attention in such things. How he managed to sneak up on him is another matter entirely. The convoy offers up a weak but welcoming smile to their former captain and shakes his helm.

“No, it’s all yours,” he admisses. Rodimus takes the invitation with his usual swagger, and perches on the bench beside him.

“I hadn’t expected you to be out here,” the speedster says after a tense moment of silence.

“Oh?” Thunderclash prompts before taking a sip of his drink. He hasn’t the commitment to question further.

“It’s just, you know…” Rodimus shrugs. As if to explain, he adds, “You’re so… _you_.” 

Thunderclash’s expression quirks and he can’t keep the tinge of amusement from his field. The former captain scrunches up his features in his struggle to explain.

“You’re just… You’re always in the thick of it, always talking to everyone. I would’ve thought you’d be the last person to brood alone over Ratchet’s…” Rodimus frowns, stopping himself. He glances down at his servos and starts picking the paint there, field suddenly heavy. After a moment of thought, he ponders aloud, “Then again, I guess you knew him longest out of any of us, didn’t you?”

“Certainly not the _longest_ ,” Thunderclash defers, “but a long time, yes.” His spark gives a weary tug at the mention of the mech they’re in mourning for.

“Are you sad?” Rodimus blurts before he can stop himself. His optics cycle wide and he grimaces. “I’m sorry, that was rude, you don’t have to answer that,” he rambles, moving to stand, “I should go, this was stupid-”

Thunderclash reaches out to grab his elbow, halting him before he can escape. “It’s fine,” he insists, “and to answer your question, yes. I am… sad.” To put it in simplest terms.

Rodimus sits back down and the convoy quickly lets him go. He nearly jolts in surprise when the former captain offers him a pat of consolation. “You… you wanna talk about it?”

“No,” he sighs, but noticing Rodimus’s deflation he quickly adds, “but thank you. I appreciate that.”

“Yeah, sure. No problem.” The speedster shrugs and the two settle into another uncomfortable silence.

To fill the gap, Rodimus pipes up, “You know, the first time I ever met Ratchet, it was shortly after I, uh… after I first joined the Autobots. I was… pretty torn up about my home, you know, getting destroyed and all. Everyone I had met up until that point either pitied me for what had happened, or they went on and on about how it was my _duty_ to avenge my fallen city.’

“Not Ratchet, though. When we first met, he put me straight to work helping him haul medical supplies.” Rodimus chuckles softly at the memory. “It was the first -- dare I say, _normal_ interaction I’d had since Nyon.”

“Ratchet certainly has his way with that sort of thing,” Thunderclash hums in thought. He sets his emptied cube down on the little stand beside the bench. “There were always jokes at the academy about how dreadful his bedside manner was, but… Well, I think he’s more _real_ than any of us understood.”

“You two used to be real party kings, didn’t you? Back in your academy days?”

Thunderclash lets out a soft chuff in amusement. “Yes, I suppose you could say that.”

Rodimus grins. “It’s hard to picture either of you going hard on the dance floor.”

“We did more than just _dance_ ,” Thunderclash banters back playfully, “We _flew_.”

“Oh yeah? Then why don’t you show me?” the speedster challenges. He throws a teasing expression coyly over his shoulder plating. “Because _I_ don’t believe you.”

Thunderclash hesitates, his spark clenching in trepidation. “I don’t know…” he mumbles.

“I mean… What would Ratchet want? For us to sit on our afts all day and mope about? If you two were _really_ all _that_ , then you gotta show all these other phonies how it’s _done_.” With that he stands up and offers a servo to help Thunderclash up. “Unless you’re scared~” Rodimus prods, a smirk flirting across his derma.

“Perhaps your right…” Thunderclash finally acquicises. The speedster’s smile more than his words prompts him to reach out and take his servo. Rodimus hoists him off the bench with his remarkable Primely strength and drives them forward, towards the party and glittering lights.

Thunderclash gives the garden one last look over his shoulder, and as his gaze flits over the sapphire near their previous occupancy, he’s almost sure it winks at him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading <3


End file.
